The unknown art of Carl Hubbell

For many the name Carl Hubbell brings to mind the famous New York Giants pitcher of the 1930's and 1940's; for those of us who specialize in the study of comic books, Carl Hubbell's name may also be familiar. As a child of the 1960's, I knew his name primarily as an inker over Dick Ayers pencils on Sgt. Fury. It wasn't until many years later that I discovered Hubbell had been a writer, artist and inker dating back to the 1940's, working for outfits including MLJ (Archie, "Steel Sterling", "Scarlet Avenger" and "Sgt. Boyle' - whose name clearly lacked a hard-edged grit when compared to four-color compatriots Sgt. ROCK, Sgt. FURY, Capt. STORM or Capt. SAVAGE, to name a few); St. John, working for Norman Mauer and Joe Kubert on the humor title Whack; and a prolific run at Lev Gleason on Crime Does Not Pay and features "Sniffer and Iron Jaw" and "the Little Wise Guys" in Boy Comics and the original Daredevil. Hubbell also worked on syndicated strips, including Merrie Chase in 1949-1950. Not much has been written about Hubbell, although in searching for biographical info I turned up an excellent, informative piece by Allan Holtz on his Strippers Guide blog (scroll down to the January 1st entry):

 trippersguide.blogspot.com/2012_12_30_archive.html

I learned quite a bit about Hubbell on Holtz's blog, not only his accomplishments as an artist, but I discovered he was also a musician and occasional stage actor (there is a photo of Hubbell on stage from a newspaper clipping, although Roy Thomas thinks the person pictured looks a little too young to be Hubbell. Roy mentioned he had a picture or two of Hubbell in an issue of Alter Ego. Does anyone out there recall which issue?). Holtz's bio also gives the date of Hubbell's death as January 28, 1992. 

There is always much to learn about the unsung and often forgotten creators of the past, and this time out I'm going to take a look at Hubbell's brief turn at Marvel in 1965-66.

Hubbell's association with Marvel actually dates back to the 1950's when it was known as Atlas. From 1952-1954 Hubbell drew various genre stories for Stan Lee in Strange Tales, Suspense, Journey into Mystery, Journey into Unknown Worlds, Spellbound and Crazy, and did the feature "Bob Brant and his Troubleshooters", starring a team of teenagers similar to his concurrent "Little Wise Guys". the feature ran in three issues of Man Comics, #'s 26-28, before the title was cancelled.

A distinctive splash page from "Condemned!", Writer unknown, Carl Hubbell art (signed "C.H." in panel one near the con's left knee). Journey into Mystery # 5, February 1953.  

 Carl Hubbell cover art to the short lived Bob Brant and the Trouble-Shooters, labeled "America's Most Exciting Kids". Apparently they weren't exciting enough to continue publication! Man Comics # 26, May 1953. Image from the Grand Comic Book Database.  

From 1957-1964 there are no known comic book credits for Hubbell. Did he go into advertising? Was he employed as a musician or stage actor? Whatever the case, Hubbell eventually turned up at Marvel, assisting production man Sol Brodsky. According to Roy Thomas Hubbell may not have been on staff but apparently was called into the office a few times a week to freelance, starting in late 1964 or early 1965. The earliest sign of possible Hubbell art I've discovered is in May, 1965 dated Marvel comics.     

MMMS House Ad from Journey into Mystery # 116, May 1965. Carl Hubbell Thor figure? 

Hubbell often made art corrections to interior stories, much like Kirby did before him and John Romita, Marie Severin, Herb Trimpe and Bill Everett, did afterward, as can be seen in May, 1965 dated titles.  

In addition to the above house ad, Hubbell apparently contributed to corrections on the interior Thor story in Journey into Mystery # 116. To my eye it appears that the figure of the Executioner and, to a lesser degree the Enchantress, was altered throughout the issue. Jack Kirby, who was known to have forgotten details of characters costumes or appearance, may have drawn the Executioners face and costume incorrectly. The Daredevil cameo on page 13 was also likely touched up by Hubbell, perhaps because Kirby drew DD in the original yellow/red costume. The remainder of the page is by Jack Kirby and Vince Colletta.

I've always found Avengers #16 (May 1965) to be particularly interesting, art-wise. Jack Kirby is credited as providing layouts, with Dick Ayers doing the finished art, but some pages/panels are clearly Kirby pencils and Ayers inks. That, however, is a blog post for another day. Mixed in throughout are corrections that I believe are by Carl Hubbell, changing figures at the request of Stan Lee. The Captain America figure on page 5, panel 2, looks like it was redrawn. 

  On page 10, panel 3, the X-Men, and perhaps the Quicksilver figure, appear to be touched-up by Hubbell.

On page 17, panel 3 the figures of Giant-Man and Captain America are altered. 

Page 20, panel 2 has a clearly redrawn Giant-Man face. The characters figure. helmet and face were touched up often throughout the issue, likely because the helmet was a new addition, which debuted only two months earlier in Tales to Astonish # 65, and Kirby and/or Ayers either forgot to draw the new helmet or did it in a consistent manner. They had a lot of characters and costumes to keep track of, so give them some slack! 

There are a few other pages/panels that may have been touched up, including the Giant-Man figure on the splash page, and the Melter, who looks a little odd on pages 2-4, but I wanted to concentrate on the drawings I felt "certain" were tampered with. 

  
The MMMS ad featuring Cap in Avengers # 16 may also be the work of Mr. Hubbell.

It looks like Carl Hubbell's hand was involved in Sgt. Fury # 18, May 1965. Page 4, panels 2 and 3 feature Fury's nemesis, "Bull" McGiveney. I'm very familiar with the work of Chic Stone, who inked Ayers pencils in this issue, and that face in not inked by Stone. Hubbell may have completely redrawn McGiveney's face to make him look more ape-like.     

 Jack Kirby penciled the majority of Sgt. Fury # 18's final page (with the possible exception of the last panel), replacing Dick Ayers' original page. Stan Lee wanted a stronger emotional punch, and Kirby delivered - as seen in the middle tier three panel sequence. Fury's shock and devastation over the death of Pamela Hawley captures a moment of tragedy. Hubbell may have inked this page, although the last panel appears to have been retained from Ayers original, with inking by Chic Stone.

The following month's cover includes possible inks by Hubbell over Kirby pencils. I'm not entirely certain Hubbell is the inker, though; the broad brush strokes are similar to Kirby's own inking style, but that might just be due to Hubbell closely following Kirby's pencils. Sgt. Fury # 19, June, 1965.   

After looking this page over recently I noticed that the inking on page 4 was NOT that of Frank Giacoia, who inked the issue, and certainly not Wally Wood, who inked the Daredevil/Matt Murdock figures throughout the story. It occurred to me that since this page had a photo background it may have needed added production work and looking closely, I suspect the inking of the Kirby figures is none other than Carl Hubbell, who would have been a likely subject to ink the page since he assisted in the office. Fantastic Four # 39, June 1965.

 Here is an example of a complete panel being redrawn. My guess is that Jack Kirby drew Don Blake mistakenly striking the cane with his hand instead of tied behind his back, as the previous panel illustrated; either that or Stan Lee didn't think Jack's panel looked dramatic enough and had Hubbell redraw it . Journey into Mystery # 117, June 1965, page 13, panel 2.     

 Hawkeye is featured in the MMMS ad from Avengers # 17, June 1965. Hubbell art?

              MMMS House ad, Carl Hubbell Rawhide Kid? RK # 46, June 1965.  

Hubbell is the likely suspect for this MMMS house ad featuring J. Jonah Jameson, from Amazing Spider-Man # 26, July 1965. Along with Carl Hubbell, Marie Severin also drew several house ads and filler artwork in this period. While both have a similar cartoony style, Marie's art is more distinctive. 

The cover to Tales of Suspense # 67, July 1965, penciled by (who else?) Jack Kirby. The inking has several earmarks that make me suspect Hubbell was involved. The slashing lines on Iron-Man's armor and Cap's costume follows Kirby's line but has a sharper feel. Like the Sgt. Fury example above, Hubbell may have closely duplicated Kirby's pencils, although his inking is cruder than other candidates such as Sol Brodsky. 

   
Kid Colt Outlaw # 123, July 1965. Jack Kirby pencils. I'm "convinced" that Hubbell inked this Kid Colt cover. The use of "hay" on shadows, including the man running along the right side; the folds in people's clothes and sharp lines on the ground link this with Hubbell.  

A nice splash page from Sgt. Fury # 21, the first issue inked by Carl Hubbell. Dick Ayers pencils, August 1965.

Hubbell also inked Dick Ayers on the interior story in Two-Gun Kid # 77, September 1965. A year before the Lee-Kirby Black Panther appeared, a costumed criminal called "The Panther" fought against the Two-Gun Kid.   

Carl Hubbell adds a nice sense of detail to a Sol Brodsky written and drawn genre story in Rawhide Kid # 48, October 1965. Hubbell's inks have a Chris Rule/Marie Severin-esque appearance.

Carl Hubbell was assigned the inking over Larry Lieber's Rawhide Kid from issues #'s 49-53. Above is the splash page to RK # 49, December 1965.

  
This is an example where the printed credits don't tell the entire story. The splash page has Jack Kirby listed on layouts and George Tuska on finished art. It's clear, though, that Wally Wood inked the first four pages, followed perhaps, by Tuska inking on pages 5-7. Pages 8-10 look like the work of Carl Hubbell;the figure of Cap on page 8, panel 5 may be all Hubbell. Note also the chunky ink line on Cap's legs on page 10; panel 1. It's likely that Tuska was originally scheduled to ink the story himself (credits were lettered before the comic was inked) but became too busy to complete the job. Tales of Suspense # 72, December 1965.

   
Carl Hubbell inked three issues of Sgt. Fury; Issue #'s 21, 23 and 26. This was the latter and final inked issue, with Dum Dum Dugan taking center stage, cover-dated January, 1966. 

As a freelancer Carl Hubbell was required to redraw Steve Ditko's figure of the Looter on page 13; panel 5 of Amazing Spider-Man #36, May 1966. I always had a feeling something was odd about the Spidey figure; the posture looked right but the inking was not at all like Ditko's, particularly the inking on the legs. At at convention some years ago I spoke to Roy Thomas about Ditko, who explained that it was Carl Hubbell who altered the drawing, as detailed in Alter Ego #50, July 2005:

"..the silhouette (in layouts) of the villainous Looter looked virtually identical to Spidey's, since both wore form-fitting costumes. Accordingly, when Stan scripted the final panel on pg. 13, he had to decide: did Steve mean that to be Spidey on the ledge, hunting for the fled Looter - or was it the Looter himself, hiding thereon? With no clarifying note from Steve, Stan wrote the figure as Spider-Man, and Artie Simek lettered it. When the story came back, however, Steve had inked the figure as the Looter - apparently the character he'd intended it to be."

"At this point, of course, either the balloons or the figure had to be totally changed. Thus, Roy recalls lingering at the Marvel offices well after 5:00 pm, one nigh-Christmas day in 1965 and chatting about Charlie Biro with veteran artist Carl Hubbell (then inking Rawhide Kid) while the latter painstakingly transformed Looter into Wall-Crawler in that panel."       

By early 1966 Hubbell would be gone from Marvel, with John Romita ostensibly taking over his duties. Hubbell moved on to pencil and ink stories for editor Carl Burgos, creator of the original Human Torch, for the short-lived MF Enterprises. Burgos revived the name Captain Marvel (who was in no way related to the famous Fawcett hero) for a four issue run. In this period Hubbell also worked for Charlton on various genre stories, but his comic book credits end by 1969. Nothing seems to be know about his 22 years spent outside of comics; apparently he was never interviewed, which is unfortunate since he was a part of comics early days and surely had interesting stories to tell. In email correspondence Roy Thomas kindly shared his thoughts on Hubbell for this post:

"I recall our walking together past some small church in Manhattan, though I don't recall where it was.  We were just having a pleasant conversation, possibly at least mostly about his previous work, since I was aware of it in general, including his "Sniffer and Iron Jaw" feature and some of his work for Kubert and Maurer at St. John.  But I recall nothing else, alas.  Work kinda dried up for him at Marvel as the Westerns failed, I guess... not sure why he was never tried on other stuff.  If he'd come back in a few years later, I'm sure I'd have tried him out on some horror work, as penciler or inker...but I don't believe our paths ever crossed again.  Too bad.  I just remember him as a gentle, soft-spoken guy.."

Carl Hubbell is just one of many half-forgotten figures who produced professional work and sold thousands of comic books for several decades. While his output for Marvel may be a small part of his oeuvre, it's nevertheless fascinating to study his involvement in the companies fledgling period of growth in the 1960s.   

Special thanks to the generosity of Roy Thomas. 

     

Farewell To Dick Ayers

Dick Ayers passed away on May 4th, 2014 at the age of 90. As a comic book artist he was always a solid, dependable craftsman. As a person he was a class act. Dick was the first pro I ever interviewed and he was both patient and gracious. Over the years I had the pleasure of seeing both him and his lovely wife Lindy often at New York Comic Cons, and was thrilled to be a guest at his house on several occasions with fellow friends and comics scholars  Barry Pearl, Michael J.Vassallo and my esteemed brother John Caputo (AKA The Yancy Street Gang). Dick had a wonderful display of original artwork on his walls and in his studio, and it was an absolute delight to listen to his stories about his comic book career. One of the most amusing anecdotes Dick told was recounted in Barry Pearl's article about our visit ("The Yancy Street Gang visit Dick and Lindy Ayers"; Alter Ego # 90, Dec 2009). Once when Dick's young daughter was in school students were asked what their fathers did for a living. His daughter innocently answered: "My daddy draws monsters". The teacher thought his daughter was fibbing and called the parents in. Needless to say, Dick had to explain that he WAS gainfully employed drawing (or more precisely inking) monsters!

"The Greedy Ghosts of Boot Hill", Gardner Fox story, Dick Ayers art and lettering, The Ghost Rider # 4, 1951. Created with Publisher Vin Sullivan and writer Ray Krank for Magazine Enterprises, The Ghost Rider was Dick Ayers' signature character. Dick's Ghost Rider design was a perfect blending of simplicity and style. Clad in white with a skull like mask and eye sockets that predated Spider-Man's, the western hero would remain a top-seller for years.

       
"Doctor Molnar's Corpse!" Author unknown; Ernie Bache inks, Dick Ayers art and lettering (Dick always lettered all the early stories that he or Ernie Bache inked) Adventures into Terror # 21, July 1953. Ernie Bache assisted Ayers from 1952-1954 and his inking added a layer of depth to the finished work. Ayers spoke highly of Bache's contributions in an interview published in Alter Ego # 10:

"He would put on all the blacks and the Kraft-Tone and bring in all that stuff. So we made a good team. I didn't bother throwing in heavy blacks. I would start them, maybe, but then he would accentuate the lines I'd put in, make them a little stronger. And he was very meticulous in his approach. I mean, everything had to be a certain formula so that we could knock out four pages a day, so he was a good asset for me."

Ayers produced many exceptional horror and mystery stories, particularly in the 1950's . This is one of a number of books in my collection that Ayers signed.

"Shylock Bones" Author unknown; Dick Ayers pencils and lettering; Ernie Bache inks, Wild # 4, June 1954. Some of  Ayers' earliest comic book work was on humor strips for Magazine Enterprises; he drew Funnyman (for Jerry Siegel) and a comic starring popular singer/comedian Jimmy Durante. Ayers also produced humor strips for Charlton and Timely/Atlas. In the same Alter Ego interview Ayers talked about humor and the Durante comic:

"... I was heart-broken that I lost Jimmy Durante, because I loved drawing him. That was the style I would have loved to keep, because you could tell adventure and you could also be funny, like Roy Crane. Then when they started up the westerns, I found out, boy, did I love doing those! [laughs]"

Oddly, when Marvel produced their superhero/parody comic Not Brand Echh in 1967 Ayers was never asked to draw any stories.

"Retribution", writer unknown, Dick Ayers art and lettering, Rawhide Kid # 11, Nov 1955. An atmospheric splash page from the original incarnation of the Rawhide Kid. Ayers' love of drawing westerns is evident in many of the stories he worked on throughout his career, including The Ghost Rider, Wyatt Earp, Two-Gun Kid, Rawhide Kid and countless genre stories. In the late 1970's-early 1980's he had a long run drawing Jonah Hex at DC. A more adult and gritty western than Ayers' earlier efforts, the combination of Michael Fleischer's scripts and detailed inkers such as Tony DeZuniga brought out some of his best storytelling in this period. Clearly, Ayers was at home in the genre.

"Vandoom, The Man Who Made a Creature!", Stan Lee plot ?; Larry Lieber script ?; Jack Kirby pencils, Dick Ayers inks, Artie Simek and Ray Holloway lettering, and - almost certainly - Stan Goldberg colors, Tales to Astonish # 17, March 1961.

Another area of Ayers' expertise was as an inker, particularly over Jack Kirby's pencils. Stan Lee paired Ayers with Kirby, and his thickness of line especially suited the many monsters that overwhelmed the pre-hero Marvel era. Ayers was also an important component of Marvel's early superheroes, inking Fantastic Four, Avengers, Thor, Ant-Man, Human Torch, and my favorite: The Hulk. Coupled with Kirby's rough and tumble visual style, Ayers was instrumental in fashioning a distinctive look to the nascent Marvel line - one far removed from DC's clean-cut house style. Before Lee instituted a credit box that included the writer, artist, inker and letterer, Dick Ayers added the signature "Kirby and Ayers" to the stories he inked.

Dick Ayers cover to Sgt. Fury # 38, Jan 1967. The simplicity of design is complimented by the striking color scheme, probably by either Stan Goldberg or Marie Severin.

Ayers was also skilled at drawing war stories, producing a slew of material for Atlas' genre line. He was later given the assignment to take over Sgt. Fury from Jack Kirby. A World War II veteran, Ayers brought some of his own experiences to the strip and became closely associated with Fury and the Howlers, drawing most issues for over a decade. Under Ayers, and with stories/co-plots by Stan Lee, Roy Thomas and Gary Friedrich, Sgt. Fury was often an entertaining mag, even if the characters were more superhero than ordinary soldier. A top seller for many years, Sgt. Fury survivied in reprint form until 1981.

"The Deserter" Gary Friedrich script, Dick Ayers pencils, John Severin inks; Jean Izzo letters;, Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos # 75, Feb 1970. Ayers pencils were complimented by John Severin, who added a layer of depth and  authenticity to his pencils. Severin's stint inking Ayers was an artistic highlight of the series and Severin was lauded by Ayers as one of his favorite inkers

From the same issue, an example of Ayers' skill at telling a story without the use of dialogue. Inspired by Jim Steranko's silent sequence in Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD # 1, author Friedrich often employed the same device in his plots for artists, although Ayers had done a story years before with Stan Lee in the same manner, "And Not a Word Was Spoken" which appeared in Two-Gun Kid # 61, Jan 1963.

 "Return of the Tarantula!" Gary Friedrich, story; Dick Ayers, art, Tom Sutton inks, Jean Izzo letters, Western Gunfighters # 1, August 1970. Ayers returned to The Ghost Rider when Marvel took the name of the defunct character. Running a scant seven issues, Ghost Rider returned as a feature in the 25 cent Western Gunfighters comic. Tom Sutton's atmospheric inking was perfectly suited to the strip; unfortunately the pair only collaborated on this one story.

Ayers 2008 drawing of the Ghost Rider, inscribed to yours truly. 

Throughout his career Dick Ayers had an individual artistic imprint. His characters were solid and he understood the importance of good storytelling. While his efforts on superhero stories was competent, and at times very good - in particular his rendition of the original Human Torch, the later Lee-Kirby version and Giant-Man - Ayers was clearly comfortable with more down to earth characters and settings. A professional who prided himself on always delivering the work on time, Ayers came from a era when the artist usually toiled away in obscurity; thankfully he lived to see his work appreciated, and was interviewed often, leaving behind a history of over four decades of achievements and experiences in comics. On a personal note, meeting the man behind the pencil and brush elevated his status even further as a fine human being.

I'll close with a 2008 photo of Dick Ayers at his home, displaying a gift from Barry Pearl (with a little assistance from the rest of the Yancy Street Gang) an appreciation/overview/bibliography of Dick's work for Timely/Atlas/Marvel. We'll all miss you, Dick.


To read more about Dick in his own words, go to Barry Pearl's blog: 

http://forbushman.blogspot.com/2014/05/dick-ayers-two-interviews_5.html

In Praise of Rocke

There were many talented artists in the Charlton line-up and Rocco "Rocke" Mastroserio is one of the best and most underrated. Born on June 8th,1927 in Staten Island, Rocco exhibited an affinity for drawing early on, and by the age of 17 he began working in comics. Credits for Rocke include pencils and/or inks for ACG, Avon, Harvey, Hillman, Toby and Timely-Atlas. His longest association, though, was with Charlton Press, beginning in 1954 and running until his death in 1968.

This bio of Rocco appeared in Creepy # 16, Aug 1967 and included many interesting facts about the artist. Joe Orlando was a fellow classmate (and friend) at the School of Industrial Arts; Mastroserio enjoyed using different techniques when drawing; influences included Wally Wood, Jack Davis, and in particular, John Severin; Charlton editor Pat Masulli allowed him to experiment on stories and he had ambitions to work on a syndicated strip.      

    
Mastroserio's cover to Wyatt Earp # 18, Nov 1957 has a decidedly Joe Maneely-esque background. Maneely drew a number of stories for Charlton and some of Rocke's covers and stories in this period were clearly influenced by his work. Could the two have met and compared notes at some point? 

Image from the ever-resourceful Grand Comics Database, where you can view all the Wyatt Earp covers by Rocco and a variety of Charlton greats: http://www.comics.org/series/1189/covers/

Rocke's cover art to Mysteries of Unexplored Worlds # 8, June 1958. Mastroserio's art peppered practically the entire Charlton line, from covers to interiors. With the amount of work he turned out some jobs were clearly rushed and weaker than others, but much of his art stands out as above average.  

An explosive (pardon the pun) cover to D-Day # 5, Oct 1967. Covers such as these, lacking copy, draw attention directly to the art. Mastroserio pencilled and/or inked countless covers for Charlton's various war and western titles and the hits outweigh the misses. Image from the GCD.   

A powerful image graces the cover to Fightin' Army # 25, June 1958, with pencils by Charlton editor Pat Masulli and inks by Mastroserio. Rocke inked most of Charlton's artists from time to time, including Charles Nicholas and Bill Molno, usually adding a layer of depth to two of Charlton's workhorses. While both men have often been maligned by fans, sometimes with justification, I've warmed up to their work a little since seeing more examples at Comic Book Plus:  

http://comicbookplus.com/

Molno and Nicholas were clearly capable of producing solid art when time and interest merged. Like many, I've probably been too harsh in assessing their talents, but I've grown to appreciate that they had distinct styles, even if they were not in the same class as Kirby and Ditko.

Mastroserio inks over Dick Giordano. The two produced many outstanding covers over the years. From Outlaws of the West # 61, Nov 1966. Image from the GCD.

Another exciting western cover by Rocke, with layouts possibly by Dick Giordano, from Outlaw of the West # 64, May 1967. Image from the GCD.   

When Ghostly Tales began with issue # 55, May 1966 (in actuality the first issue, which continued the numbering from Blue Beetle), Mastroserio was a major contributor, both as primary cover artist and on interiors. In this issue he provides the intro page, inks a Steve Ditko story and draws two stories of his own! This nicely designed page is from "A Powerful Tale!"   

Anyone for a game of cards? Rocke drew many attractive and inventive introductory pages for Charlton, this one featuring the host Mr. L. Dedd. From Ghostly Tales # 57, Sept 1966. 

Mastroserio was particularly suited to the mystery genre as this cover clearly illustrates. From Ghostly Tales # 60, March 1967.

As noted, Mastroserio inked many of Steve Ditko's stories when he returned to Charlton. Although he did a fine job on Capt. Atom, I believe Rocke's crisp, detailed inking on the mystery stories truly excelled. "If I Had Three Wishes", Gary Freidrich script, from Ghostly Tales # 60. 

Ditko and Rocke are again teamed in the same issue. This page features superb storytelling by Ditko, with each panel perfectly composed. The use of the host is an added treat, and Rocke's inking compliments Ditko's pencils as few have been able to. There are so many gems to be found in Charlton's 1960's comics. This is just one of them. "The Ghost Mover" Joe Gill script?

 Dr. Graves, who had a short feature in Ghostly Tales, usually written by Dave Kaler and drawn by Bill Montes and Ernie Bache, soon became the host and occasional star of his own title. As with GT, Rocke was again employed as main cover and intro artist on many of the early issues. Cover possibly from a Dick Giordano layout. Many Ghosts of Doctor Graves # 4, Nov 1967.

Another simple, effective Rocke cover, with lettering by Jon D'Agostino, from Many Ghosts of Doctor Graves # 5, Jan 1968.

And we close out our look at Rocke's Charlton work with a decidedly Ditkoesque cover, one inspired by the Ditko drawn "Routine" inside. All told, Mastroserio's fourteen year body of work at Charlton includes some extraordinary work.

 
 In 1966 Rocke, along with fellow Charlton artists Steve Ditko, Pat Boyette and Tony Tallarico, began getting assignments from Warren Publishing. Mastroserio's black and white work was effective, as this splash page to "Monster" clearly illustrates. Archie Goodwin script. Creepy # 10, Aug 1966.

While continuing to work for Charlton, Mastroserio drew stories for Warren and received his first assignment from DC editor Murray Boltinoff, a mystery story over Jack Sparling pencils (The Unexpected # 108, Sept 1968). Sadly, it was to be his only DC job, as he died in 1968, at the age of 41. 

Mark Hanerfeld's obituary of Mastroserio, from On The Drawing Board Vol 3, # 2, Apr 1968


Like the tragic early death of Joe Maneely, who knows where the future would have taken Rocco Mastroserio? Mastroserio was excited to be working for DC, and more jobs from editor Murray Boltinoff were pending (according to historian Mark Evanier, Boltinoff was ready to assign him a Challengers of the Unknown story). His command of the form was constantly improving and would likely have continued in that direction. Rocco "Rocke" Mastroserio's life may have been short, but his accomplishments in the world of comic art cast a long shadow.

I'll close out with a rare treat: Rocco in his own words, writing about art and storytelling. A letter from Comic Comments # 19, June 1967. Rocke had contributed a cover to issue # 10, which I unfortunately don't have, but if anyone has a copy and would send me a scan I'd love to add it to this tribute.